A Bloods gang member and his uncle were arrested Tuesday at dawn on Chapman Street for drug possession as part of the city's anti-crime initiative ahead of summer, a spokesman said. Chapman Street is one of several troublesome areas that city officials are hoping to make safer heading into the warmer summer months, when violent crimes tend to increase in the greater Newark area.Star-Ledger file photo

ORANGE — The city’s anti-crime initiative produced its first arrests this week — a Bloods gang member and his uncle, officials say.

At the break of dawn on Tuesday, narcotics detectives conducted a search at a house on Chapman Street – and arrested Marc Ruffin, a 34-year-old confirmed Bloods gang member, and his uncle, Terrance Ruffin, 43, said Anthony Salters, the city spokesman.

Both Ruffins were charged with possession of crack cocaine and marijuana, said Anthony Salters, a city spokesman. Terrance Ruffin, the uncle, was also charged with possession with intent to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Oakwood Avenue School, Salters said.

Detectives found 45 grams of cocaine at the Chapman Street residence where the two were living, Salters said. Marijuana was also seized. Both were taken to the Essex County Jail.

The arrests are a direct result of an the anti-crime initiative the city has recently undertaken, Salters said.

The S.T.R.I.K.E. initiative is being called a “pre-emptive” effort against crime in time for the warm summer months, when violent crime rates increase in Newark and surrounding towns, officials have said. S.T.R.I.K.E. stands for "Secure, Track and Remove Inner-Orange crime Keeping Everyone safe."

The plan has several objectives: to “flood” trouble areas with patrols at night, convert three troublesome streets to one-way thoroughfares, compel landlords to enforce lease agreements, crack down on squatters in vacant buildings, and reach out to state and federal authorities to arrest suspects with warrants and remove violent offenders from the community, the city says.

Chapman Street is one of the three troublesome roads planned for conversion to a one-way thoroughfare to reduce crime. Officials say the plan has already started to make a difference.

“Our plan is reaping benefits due to the information gathered,” said Hakim Sims, the city’s police director. “These arrests are the direct result of intelligence gained by our vigilant officers.”

However, there has been one murder since the initiative was announced in March. Last week, a 20-year-old East Orange man was killed in the city near the intersection of Wallace and North Center streets, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.